Testing of a new cruise missile manufactured in Bolton able to destroy targets from 100km away is now complete. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force pilots will be equipped with the SPEAR 3 missile following the first successful guided firing trial. A test firing in Sweden saw the weapon launched from a BAE Systems-operated Typhoon jet.
The missile is designed to be used against a range of targets, including air defences, ships, tanks, defended structures and fast-moving vehicles. (Image: MOD/MBDA / SWNS) Once in service it will be fitted to Britain’s F-35B fighter jets and allow the military to strike targets both from land and Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. READ MORE: MBDA in Bolton supplying arms for Ukraine war effort Bolton-based missile maker MBDA helping more women back into work Weapons firm lands a multi-million contract to create new jobs The test saw SPEAR autonomously navigate to the target via customisable routes before using its advanced all-weather radar seeker to map the target area, and use the radiofrequency imagery to successfully engage it.
Developed in the UK by MBDA, work on SPEAR supports several hundred jobs among MBDA’s 5,500-strong UK workforce, with design work mainly in Stevenage and Bristol and manufacturing in Bolton. Mike Mew, Tactical Strike Director of MBDA, said: "SPEAR is a truly unique weapon system - the first to offer the range, flexibility, precision and load-out to defeat modern enemy air defences. "The success of this trial is .
